Sacrifice Quotes in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #10

The Snitch. His nerveless fingers fumbled for a moment with the pouch at his neck and he pulled it out.

I open at the close.

Breathing fast and hard, he stared down at it. Now that he wanted time to move as slowly as possible, it seemed to have sped up, and understanding was coming so fast it seemed to have bypassed thought. This was the close. This was the moment.

He pressed the golden metal to his lips and whispered, "I am about to die."

The black stone with its jagged crack running down the center sat in the two halves of the Snitch. The Resurrection Stone had cracked down the vertical line representing the Elder Wand. The triangle and circle representing the Cloak and the stone were still discernable.

And again Harry understood without having to think. It did not matter about bringing them back, for he was about to join them. He was not really fetching them: they were fetching him. (34.37-43)

There's only one comfort in this sacrifice – the Resurrection Stone. Harry uses it to call back his departed loved ones to help him through this terrible moment… it's the least Dumbledore could do to ease this decision.

Quote #11

Dumbledore stated it baldly, coldly. He was now looking over the top of Harry's head, into the distance.

"I was gifted, I was brilliant. I wanted escape. I wanted to shine. I wanted glory.

"Do not misunderstand me," he said, and pain crossed the face so that he looked ancient again. "I loved them. I loved my parents, I loved my brother and my sister, but I was selfish, Harry, more selfish than you, who are a remarkably selfless person, could possibly imagine." (35.57-60)

Dumbledore, it seems, wasn't quite strong enough to sacrifice his future for his family, as he was asked to do – one of the reasons why he recognizes Harry as a better man. Harry's selflessness is remarkable; his choice to sacrifice himself is something that most of us wouldn't have been able to do!